The World Has Somehow Shifted
by when the night grows old
Summary: "Each year on his birthday, the King and Queen released thousands of lanterns into the sky with hope that one day, their lost prince would return." Tangled!Klaine AU
1. Prologue

**A/N: HELLO! This is a collab story between me and the lovely danielle (redandyell0w) We will hopefully be posting as frequently as is convenient for both of us! I know this is yet _another _WIP i've started, but i'm addicted!**

**This is just the prologue, it's VERY short, but i'll be writing the next chapter and we'll start our editing process after we're done bouncing ideas off each other! the best thing about collabing with someone is the fact that you have a permanent beta! haha!**

**in other news, i've decided to pick up AL&R from where i left off because i recently re-read what i'd written and felt the obsessive need to keep going! so, watch out for that as well!**

**again, enjoy the story and PLEASE review! :D**

* * *

This is the story of how I died.

Well not really, and don't worry! This is actually a very fun story and the truth is, it isn't even really mine at all. In fact, this is the story of a boy named Blaine, and it all starts with the sun.

Now, once upon a time a single drop of sunlight fell from the heavens. And from this small drop of sun grew a magic golden flower. It had plump, orange and magenta petals and a bright yellow center, and the flower was always warmly glowing. It had the ability to heal the sick and injured with the recital of a simple incantation.

Centuries passed and a hop, skip and boat ride away, there rose a kingdom. The kingdom was ruled by a beloved King and Queen, and the Queen… well, she was about to have a baby.

But she got sick. Really sick. She was running out of time, and that's when people usually start to look for a miracle. Or in this case, a certain magic golden flower.

You see, there was this old man named Sebastian Smythe, and instead of sharing the sun's gift, this man hoarded it's healing powers and used it to keep himself young for hundreds of years, and all he had to do was sing the special incantation.

But one day, he got careless, and forgot to conceal the magic flower once he had finished using it. Conveniently, the same time that the kingdom was in search of it. The flower was found by the castle guards and was taken to their queen immediately, angering Sebastian greatly.

Thankfully, the magic of the golden flower healed the Queen. And a happy baby boy, a prince, was born, with beautiful ebony hair. I'll give you a hint, that boy is Blaine. To celebrate his birth, the King and Queen sent a flying lantern into the sky. And for that one moment, everything was perfect.

And then that moment ended.

Smythe, enraged and unforgiving, broke into the castle one night. Singing the magic song under his breath he found the magic to still be true and shining in the beautiful locks of Blaine's hair, glowing golden in the dark night. At first he tried to cut a small lock of hair, but found as soon as the strands were cut, the glowing stopped, and the magic was lost. In an instant, Sebastian formulated an evil plan, the most evil of plans. But he needed to act quickly.

So, just like that, he swooped up the child, flipped up his hood, and was gone. The king and queen woke to the sounds of their baby's cries, only to see a tall, hooded man disappearing down the balcony with their precious Blaine in his arms. The kingdom searched and searched but they could not find the prince. For deep within the forest, in a hidden tower, Smythe raised the child as his own. Smythe had found his new magic flower, but this time he was determined to keep it hidden.

But the walls of that tower could not hide everything. Each year on his birthday, the King and Queen released thousands of lanterns into the sky with hope that one day, their lost prince would return.


	2. When Will My Life Begin?

**A/N: so here it is! the first OFFICIAL chapter! leave reviews! i hope you enjoy :D**

Blaine sat on the windows ledge, mindlessly stroking the scales of the lime colored chameleon he'd come to call his pet. The sun was just rising above the horizon, the air warm and refreshing. He inhaled deeply, sighing softly.

"I wish you could talk," He spoke offhandedly. "It's so lonely up here. I just...I wonder what it's like to have a _real_ friend, you know? What it's like...out there." Blaine looked down to the little lizard resting on his leg, wide eyes looking up at him. "You know, even if you don't talk, I think you understand me. Huh, that must be weird."

Blaine shook his head, smiling slightly at the thought. "Well, no use in daydreaming the day away," Blaine announced abruptly. "Besides, I like it in here, and so do you," Blaine pointed a finger at the lizard. "It's not so bad in there." Blaine nodded his head towards the inside of the tower.

Blaine swiveled his body around to hop off the windowsill and back into the tower. With a quick toss of his obscenely long locks, his hair hooked around the crooked lever and he pulled down swiftly, effectively opening the rickety skylight, allowing the warm glow of sunlight to pour in.

It was just after seven, and Blaine had a list of things he wanted to get done as soon as possible; the usual morning line up. He'd start on the chores, sweep til the floor was clean, followed by polishing, waxing, do some laundry, mop the place and a overall shine up. Then he'd probably sweep again, just to make sure he got every speck of dust that could be lurking.

One of the perks of being holed up in the tower all day, Blaine discovered, was all the extra time he had to do things he liked—things other than his chores. He could easily get through a book, or maybe two or three before the day was out, and he always had the time to add some paintings to his ever expanding gallery. Blaine had discovered he was also really fond of playing the guitar, and he was quite good at it. Though he didn't have any sheet music, he liked writing down little tunes he'd come up with.

Another upside was the fact that Blaine had the opportunity to pick up new hobbies, like knitting and cooking. Over the years, he'd also become an excellent puzzle solver, a professional dart thrower, and a talented baker. He'd dipped into the intricacies of paper mache, he'd even attempted a bit of ballet and chess. He'd even found out that he rather enjoyed pottery, it was calming and made for great vases for the flowers that Sebastian usually brought home when the weather was particularly nice.

Yes, Blaine had acquired various skills (including but not limited to ventriloquy and candle-making) but Blaine also realized that he had very limited material to work with. Sure, he could read three or so books a day, but they were always the _same _books, the _same _stories that he must've read at least a thousand times. He also noticed that he was slowly but surely running out of wall space for his paintings. He'd already moved the large mantlepiece from its spot above the fireplace in order to create a particular painting, and wall space wasn't something you could easily buy more of. But Blaine, ever the optimist, kept his chin held high and insisted that there must be room _somewhere_ that he could continue his gallery.

But a good distraction from his fixed amount of supplies was the good chunk of the day he spent brushing out his exceptionally long hair. His hair was typically a tangled mess after his midday activities, resulting in him spending a fair part of his afternoon brushing out the thick, black curls, but Blaine didn't mind. He often hummed a little song to himself, whistling while he worked through the knots.

Stuck in the same place he'd always been, Blaine often let his mind wander to the untouched realms of the outside world. To Blaine, this life of living cooped up in a tower was only temporary. He wouldn't be here forever. One day Sebastian would have to let him go out there, or at least take him with him on one of his outings. One day Blaine's life would _really _begin, _but when_?

As Blaine finally brushed through the last handful of hair, he dropped his brush and nearly collapsed into the comfy armchair. He sighed heavily, closing his eyes and relaxing for a moment. The sun was just beginning to fall from its peak in the sky, the backdrop still a bright blue.

Blinking his eyes open slowly, Blaine clambered out of the chair to stand by the window. He supported himself on the ledge, looking out into the sky thoughtfully.

It was his eighteenth birthday tomorrow and Blaine had been dancing around the thought for a while. Every year Sebastian went out of his way to get Blaine exactly what he wanted for his birthday, or exactly what Blaine _told _him he wanted for his birthday. But this year, Blaine was going to finally tell Sebastian what he really wanted.

Blaine knew precisely what he was going to ask for, he was going to ask to go see the lights; the lights that had appeared on his birthday each year.

For as long as Blaine could remember, every year on his birthday, off in the distance, there would be a soft glow. It started off small, a singular bloom of light, but then slowly it grew and grew until there was a long and wide stream of glowing lights floating up and away into the night sky. Blaine had always wondered where they'd come from, but he'd always been too afraid to ask Sebastian about it. For all Blaine knew, Sebastian didn't even know the lights existed.

Every birthday when Sebastian sat down across from Blaine and posed the question "So, what do you want for your birthday this year?" Blaine always thought of the same thing. _The lights, the lights, Sebastian. Take me to the lights._ But every year thus far, Blaine changed his mind at the last second and asked for something more tangible, something that he knew Sebastian could get for him easily. The lights were a big deal to Blaine, and up until this birthday he hadn't been completely sure he was ready to let Sebastian know about the lights, _his lights._

It wasn't just around his birthday that Blaine caught himself thinking about the lights. They were like his own private thought, his little secret. Only when Blaine was alone did he ever think about the lights. Often, when he laid in bed on the nights he couldn't sleep, Blaine wondered the same things; where did the lights come from? Why on his birthday, every year, without fail? What was it like out there where they glow?

Turning around to face the inside of the tower walls, Blaine looked up at his most recent addition to his gallery. It was the lights; bright yellow and gold blossoms of light kissing the night sky, cascading up, up, up, rising from an unknown origin.

Blaine took a few steps forward, almost searching the painting for an answer. Now that he was older, Sebastian might just let him go. Sebastian had to let him go, right?

* * *

Kurt flew down the roof side in a flash, hopping onto the dome-shaped roof of the next building, the two large goons following close behind. He hopped across two pillars expertly, then walked across the flat point of the next roof, only to jump onto yet another oddly shaped roof. Jumping down onto the final roof, Kurt took a moment to take in the spectacular view.

"Wow, I could get used to a view like this," Kurt spoke in awe. Before him lay the entire kingdom, the houses significantly smaller, and the people even tinier.

"Hummel! Come here," One of the large men whispered loudly and urgently.

"Hold on," Kurt raised his hand to the large buffoon as he continued to look out at the village before him. "Yep, I'm used to it." Kurt declared. "Guys, I want a castle." Kurt stated, not looking away from the landscape beneath him.

"We do this job, you can buy your own castle," The one burly goon was getting impatient. Yanking Kurt by his collar, he pulled him towards the propped open roof tile.

Tying himself securely, Kurt sat on the edge of the opening before taking a deep breath and putting his trust in the other men.

Kurt dived forward carefully and gracefully, letting the goons slowly lower him towards his treasure, the lost princes' crown.

Luckily, all the guards backs were to him, so Kurt let out a silent breath of relief. Satchel in hand, Kurt waited until he was within reaching distance of the shiny crown before picking it up and carefully dropping it into his satchel silently.

As soon as Kurt had the crown in his hands, one of the guards let out a short sneeze that nearly gave Kurt a heart attack. Calming quickly, Kurt rested his elbow on the now vacant pillow, supporting his chin with his hand.

"Ugh, hay fever?" Kurt quipped with a smirk on his lips.

"Yeah," The guard replied easily. As quickly as he'd sneezed, the guard's face lit up with realization.

Before the guard could even fully turn around, Kurt was already being pulled through the opening and climbing down from the castles' roof.

Once back on the ground, the three thieves set off into the forest, racing quickly.

"Can't you picture me in a castle of my own? 'Cause I certainly can!" Kurt spoke as he ran, leading the other men farther and farther away from the castle. "Ah, the things we've seen and it's only eight in the morning!" Kurt nearly cheered. "Gentlemen, this is a very big day!" Kurt boasted. There's nothing that could compare to the thrill of the chase, at least not to Kurt. He could barely suppress the wicked smile. Oh, how Kurt loved a good adventure.


End file.
